Sources have indicated that the Maduro regime in Venezuela has set aside nearly $1 billion in gold reserves, around 20% of the country’s total, for departure to an unknown location. The regime has been propped up from complete collapse through billions of dollars from Russia and China, and some have declared that this gold shipment is en route to Russia as payment. Control of Venezuela’s gold reserves has become an important source of international contention; last week the Bank of England refused a request from the Maduro regime to withdraw $1.2 billion in gold. “My advice to bankers, brokers, traders, facilitators, and other businesses: don’t deal in gold, oil, or other Venezuelan commodities being stolen from the Venezuelan people by the Maduro mafia,” announced U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton. The U.S. has stepped up its efforts in recent weeks to place further strain on the Maduro regime, recognizing the country’s opposition government and sanctioning oil sales that would pass through accounts accessible to Maduro allies. In Venezuela, gold is actively mined by companies under direct oversight of the army, who transports it for storage around the country.
Source: Venezuela Has 20 Tons of Gold Ready to Ship. Address Unknown – Bloomberg
